Gilded Lily was formed in 2014 in Barrie, Ontario with members of Swarms. The eclectic black metal trio released a demo in 2015, and now they are back with their first LP courtesy of Lion's Jawbone. "Desperation. Malaise. Contempt.": These are the themes that Gilded Lily purport to cover in their music. So how far can Mongrel's Light take us into these dark themes?
"Weakling Sun." Holy f#%k. Talk about starting with a bang. Infusing only the harshest of black metal vocals and tremolos with insane speed, it conjures images of Absu and Cobalt. The additions of D-beat, hardcore, and death growls only take us further down the rabbit hole. My primary complaint with North American black metal groups tends to be due to wimpy vocals. This is not a problem for Gilded Lily. These guys have some of the most intense, grim shrieks out there rivaling everything from Pale Chalice to Taake. The touch of reverb makes the performance all the more frighteningly hellish.
There are tons of great moments on this album. "Bellflower" has a folky touch to its thrashing speed that immediately draws comparisons to Skeletonwitch. "Yellow Dog's Song," at just over a minute, chooses instead to channel Pig Destroyer with its grinding, chaotic riffs and sharp snare strikes. Just one song later, "The City Ends" flips the script once more with a more atmospheric experience combining viking metal-sounding leads with an ominous backdrop of post-metal flair. This could go on and on, and despite all of the stylistic curveballs, including the very post-hardcore influenced "A Sparse Room" (those drums, amirite?), Mongrel's Light manages to maintain an impressive level of consistency.
So whether you are just looking for some raunchy modern BM with the lurking serpents of instant classics like "Amber Murk" and "Houndstooth," or wanting a little more peanut butter in your chocolate, Gilded Lily have got you covered. This is a group that seems to honor a firm understanding of both where the genre comes from and where it is going. Their new LP keeps a strong foundation of grimness, but also takes note of its versatile members' by venturing into a number of other territories. I hope the group continues to mature and explore, but also never loses site of what it means to be a black metal band.